Scientists Predict Mini Ice Age Will Hit Earth in Five Years: Fact Check

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Scientists Predict Mini Ice Age Will Hit Earth in Five Years.

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Earth heading for mini ice age in 5 years.

Scientists Predict Mini Ice Age Will Hit Earth in Five Years

Fact Check:

A widespread story online, also in some media outlets, warns us that Scientists have Predicted Mini Ice Age Will Hit Earth in five years (some mentioned 15 years). So, let us examine if the claims are true.

Mini Ice Age Will Hit Earth or Not

Man-made climate changes have in fact led to what is often called as Global Warming. Carbon dioxide trapped in the atmosphere increases the temperature of the Planet Earth, causing Polar Ice to melt. In contrary, the stories in question suggest temperatures will start dropping from 2021. The after effects would be cooling down Planet Earth, which allegedly will enter a period of Mini Ice age.

Actual Study

In July 2015, a team lead by Northumbria University Maths Professor Valentina Zharkova announced their research on Solar activity at the Royal Astronomical Society’s National Astronomy Meeting in Wales. The stories in question seem to have surfaced in later years. Research from the new mathematical model of the Sun’s solar cycle (i.e. magnetic energy) Predicts a ‘Solar Minimum’ between 2030 and 2040. According to the prediction, solar activity will fall by 60 per cent in that period, leading to similar conditions last seen during the ‘mini ice age’ that began in 1645.

The Maunder Minimum phenomenon (also known as prolonged sunspot minimum) happened between 1645 and 1715 when sunspots became exceedingly rare, as noted by solar observers at the time. However, the study led by Zharkova did not mention anything about weather change. Some media outlets jumped on the idea that a modern “mini ice age” is in store in near future. Professor Valentina Zharkova herself told IFLScience website iflscience.com that her team did not realize their research will have that kind of impact on the media. Even climate scientists did not buy the idea of Mini Ice Age coming up. Interestingly, Zharkova said the next solar minimum might give the Planet Earth a chance to reduce adverse effects of global warming. Climate scientists on the other hand believe the solar-related temperature drops would be far outweighed by human-caused global warming.

So, the messages warning scientists predicted a Mini Ice Age Will Hit Earth in five or fifteen years are therefore hoaxes. The solar minimum findings are not a serious matter of concern, but as the Professor Zharkova herself mentioned, Global Warming should not be ignored.